Optometrist allegedly hid 'peeping Tom' recorder in restroom

March 22, 2013|By Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein | This post has been corrected. See below for details.

A Tarzana optometrist has been charged with allegedly concealing a small "peeping Tom" video recorder in an office restroom, the L.A. city attorney said Friday.

Foad Shirazian, 38, a resident of Calabasas, and a licensed doctor of optometry, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating the privacy of others by using a concealed video recording device.

"A person's privacy, especially in the most personal and intimate situations, must be respected and protected," City Atty. Carmen Trutanich said in a statement. "Persons who violate that privacy will be prosecuted and held accountable under the law."

If convicted, the optometrist faces six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each felony count.

One of Shirazian's female employees found the camera in February hidden behind a poster on the wall of a restroom in his Tarzana office, authorities said.

The employee reported the discovery to the Los Angeles Police Department, which investigated the matter. Detectives presented evidence to prosecutors, who filed the charges.

Shirazian is scheduled to be arraigned April 12 in Van Nuys Superior Court.

[For the Record, 12:22 p.m. March 22: In a previous version of this online post, City Atty. Carmen Trutanich was quoted as saying "women's privacy" should be protected. He actually said "a person's privacy."]